The City of Airdrie has started a new campaign that aims to spread positivity at the end of a year that has carried a lot of negative weight.
“Our communications team was really the drive behind this,” said Mayor Peter Brown, of the Simple Joys campaign, which launched Dec. 2. “They have seen a lot of negative posts and people feeling quite depressed. This is an opportunity for people to share the little things that make life great. No matter what kind of situation you are in right now, we can overcome and move forward together.”
As part of the campaign, the City of Airdrie is asking residents to submit any photo, audio message or 30-second video clip of a simple joy, along with a few short sentences why they chose that item. Participants can also post to their own social media platforms and use the #SimpleJoys hashtag to get involved.
“Every time you seem to turn on, whether it’s the television, the Internet or social media, it doesn’t seem to be very positive,” Brown said. “This is a way to give people some hope.”
Brown said he is encouraging everyone to get involved, as one person’s simple joy could have a positive impact on someone else.
“It’s imperative to stay connected to people,” he said. “The vast majority of people who participate in this and spread the love out there, are taking part in something that boosts our community.”
The timing of the campaign is significant, Brown added, as the holiday season can be a stressful and tough period for a lot of people – which the pandemic can exacerbate.
“These little measures of positivity can spread the joy for not only our community, but neighbouring municipalities as well,” he said.
According to Brown, though the campaign was launched just last week, the City has already received several submissions. Examples include enjoying a morning coffee, a beloved family pet and a nice view from the deck.
“It’s different things for different people,” Brown said. “It has been great so far and I really hope it continues.”
The campaign has had Brown searching through family archives himself in hopes of finding something to share with the community.
“I have a box of videotapes from my father, and on the videotapes [are] two or three hours of my brother, who passed away in 2005,” Brown said. “We ended up finding clips that had all of us dying laughing – that is what this campaign is about.”
Brown said although sometimes people tend to focus on the negative, we still live in an amazing province and country.
“We have so much to be thankful for,” he said. “I know it’s hard to see when we are sitting in a rut. But at the end of it, if we can remove ourselves for just a quick window of time and feel good about our families and what we are actually getting to do right now, I think people will be much better for it.”
Submissions will be accepted until the end of December. For residents interested in participating, visit airdrie.ca/simplejoys.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
